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Competition among movie theaters: an empirical investigation of the Toho–Subaru antitrust case

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  • Mitsuru Sunada

Abstract

This study assesses the 1951 Toho–Subaru antitrust merger case in the Japanese movie theater market. Using information regarding the location of theaters in the Tokyo metropolitan area, I examined the relationship between the number of attendees and the structure of the local market competition: a regression equation relating to the number of attendees and the local market structure was derived from a model of product differentiation, which incorporated the features of a movie theater market. The results revealed that nearby rival theaters had negative effects on other theaters’ attendance numbers, and these effects did not dissipate even where there was 10 km between each theater. Based on empirical results, it appears that the Tokyo High Court and the competition agency defined the geographic movie theater market as being smaller than it actually was. The results of this study suggest that the application of econometric analysis, combining geographic information, is useful in merger reviews of retail industries, such as movie theaters. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012

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  • Mitsuru Sunada, 2012. "Competition among movie theaters: an empirical investigation of the Toho–Subaru antitrust case," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 36(3), pages 179-206, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:36:y:2012:i:3:p:179-206
    DOI: 10.1007/s10824-012-9164-8
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Antitrust; Local market competition; Merger; Movie theater market; L11; L41; L82; N45; N75;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L41 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Monopolization; Horizontal Anticompetitive Practices
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media
    • N45 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Asia including Middle East
    • N75 - Economic History - - Economic History: Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, and Other Services - - - Asia including Middle East

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